Chapter 25: Solving the Riddle of the Force

"So sure are you?" Master Yoda called out and Anakin could not help but feel a sense of relief when he heard the sound of two lightsabers igniting, both Masters Yoda and Kenobi had arrived. Obi-Wan helped Chancellor Organa out the door before anything worse happened to him, and then the Jedi took him place next to Master Yoda.

Although in pain, Organa was able to move on his own volition. He had hesitated when Obi-Wan tried to usher him out of the medical room. The Chancellor wanted to help, but it soon became apparent that his presence hindered the Jedi's' operation. From his own experience of having his mind controlled for the last few months, Organa knew he was no match for the Sith. He wanted to help Padmé, but with Sidious and Anakin blocking the only path to her, that was not possible either. Therefore, Organa did the only thing he could do and left to seek medical attention for himself. He would also call for medical personnel for Padmé and the Jedi. It wasn't much, but it was the best help he could offer.

"Ah, Masters Yoda and Kenobi. You are just in time to witness the rebirth of the Sith Order." Sidious stated and then swung his saber to the left side of Anakin's head before feinting and reversing his swing to the right.

"Oh, I don't think so." Obi-Wan stated defiantly as both he and Master Yoda took a step closer to Anakin and the ruby lightsaber held by his invisible attacker.

"Balance the Force, we will." Master Yoda added.

"Get Padmé out of here!" Anakin yelled. He was more concerned about her safety than the Sith Lord attacking him. He raised his lightsaber to his right side to block another volley of attacks from Sidious' saber. He cast a glance back to Padmé and knew she needed to get out of her quickly. Her hair was plastered to her face and she was struggling to breath through her contractions.

Obi-Wan and Yoda took a few more steps toward Anakin in the hope of helping him fight off the Sith. However, before they could get near they found themselves being pelted by various objects in the room. Medical equipment, bedding, and the occasional droid came flying their way. Sidious was Force flinging anything and everything in order to stop their approach. He wanted as much time as possible to finish his attack on Anakin. Sidious knew that if he waited long enough, he would find an opportunity to strike down his opponent.

Obi-Wan and Yoda were able to use the Force and their own lightsabers to deflect the objects flying towards them. However, there were so many items that they were not able to move closer to Anakin and Padmé.

Anakin continued to concentrate on his battle with Sidious, keeping himself between the Sith's blade and his wife. However, he became distracted when Padmé groaned in pain. That momentary distraction allowed Sidious to slice through Anakin's right hand, the same hand he had lost to Count Dooku several years ago.

"Anakin!" Padmé screamed when she heard her husband's cry of pain. The robotic copy of his flesh still allowed for all the sensations of his normal arm and it was just as painful to lose the metal appendage.

Anakin gritted his teeth as he winced in pain. He staggered slightly from the shock of losing his arm, but the sound of Padmé's scream reminded him that he could not afford this momentary weakness. Calling on the Force to ease his pain and retrieve his lightsaber from his severed hand, Anakin worked to continue his fight with Sidious. Using his left hand to block and parry the Sith's attacks.

"You cannot defeat me, Skywalker. All is lost." Sidious cackled. Anakin was holding his own against the Sith even though he had lost his right hand, but Sidious knew that the Jedi was at the disadvantage. Anakin could not kill Sidious and the young Jedi would tire allowing for Sidious to exact his revenge with a deadly strike.

"Anakin, the Force is unbalanced! There is not enough light energy to counter Sidious' dark energy. He can only be stopped if we bring the Force into balance!" Obi-Wan repeated what Master Yoda had told him on their way to help Anakin. Both he and Master Yoda were still deflecting the various objects Sidious was sending towards them as they slowly inched their way closer to Anakin.

"And how am I supposed to do that!" Anakin shouted with irritation as he locked blades with Sidious. He needed answers to finish this duel.

"We…" Obi-Wan began, but fell silent and crumpled to the floor when a large piece of a nearby wall flew towards him and hit him on the back of the head. There had been so many other objects flying at him that Obi-Wan had not sensed the chunk of wall. Sidious had pushed it at him so suddenly, giving him no time to react.

Obi-Wan would not have had an answer to Anakin's question, he and Master Yoda had not figured out how to balance the Force. However that did not make his current unconscious state beneficial. Anakin and Yoda could have used him to help piece together this puzzle, but now Anakin and Yoda were on their own.


"There is nothing you can do, I am unstoppable." Sidious growled with menace as he feinted another attack towards Anakin's left hand side.

Anakin glared at the saber in front of him. He had seen the piece of wall crash into Obi-Wan, and knew the Sith had used that tactic to prevent Obi-Wan from talking. Anakin knew the way his former master operated and suspected that Obi-Wan either knew how to destroy the Sith, or was at least on the right track. Master Yoda was more powerful than Obi-Wan, so it made more sense to throw a piece of a wall at the diminutive Jedi. Obviously, Sidious wanted to silence Obi-Wan before important information was revealed.

"Master Yoda, do you have any ideas?" Anakin called out with urgency, hoping the wizened Jedi could help. Padmé's groans were growing louder behind him.

Unfortunately, Yoda was in deep concentration. Sidious had sent a chunk of the ceiling crashing down on him and Yoda was calling upon the Force to help him stop it. He could not answer Anakin's question and remain focused on his task.

Anakin growled in frustration as he violently swung his cerulean saber at the Sith's crimson blade as if that would help in this battle. Anakin heard Sidious' evil cackle in response.

"I can feel your anger. Release your aggressive feelings. Only your hatred can stop me."

"I do believe we had this discussion the last time I faced you." Anakin responded sarcastically. "My answer is still no." Anakin moved his saber above his head and then down towards his side to deflect a series of Sidious' counter attacks. This battle was getting him nowhere, and even with the Force to aid him, his left arm was tiring. Anakin needed to decipher this riddle for himself. Logic was never his strong suit, so he decided to go through the facts one at a time all the while defending himself from the Sith. Anakin also hoped that Obi-Wan would wake up and help him. He had seen the older Jedi stir a little from his position on the floor, but he had not fully regained consciousness.

Setting into a defensive stance and being careful to make sure his right side with his severed arm was protected, Anakin started recalling what he knew. First, the Sith Lord was dead and apparently his Force presence could wreak havoc without a physical body. Second, Obi-Wan had stated that the Force was out of balance and there wasn't enough light Force energy to counter Sidious' dark energy. Therefore, Anakin concluded that when he killed Sidious he had failed to give the Force an equally strong light presence.

When Anakin had faced the Sith before, he had vowed to right all the wrongs he had helped create. He, himself would destroy the Sith and restore peace and order to the galaxy. Obviously, he had missed a step somewhere. With this thought Anakin had to shift his body left and right as Sidious tried to catch him off guard by swinging his lightsaber to either side of him.

Once Anakin regained his defensive stance, he ran back through Obi-Wan's last comment. The older Jedi had mentioned light and dark Force energy. The dark energy he had identified as Sidious. Therefore, the light energy must belong to a Jedi, a Sith's enemy. Anakin contemplated this for a moment, periodically shifting his saber to block the Sith. It took the young Jedi a moment, but as he pivoted slightly and changed his saber's position to block a spinning attack from the Sith, realization dawned on Anakin.

The Sith could not be destroyed by killing their physical beings because their Force presences still lingered. Therefore, to bring the Force into balance and prevent them from committing further evil, a Jedi must give up their life and join the Force as well. The Jedi's presence would be able to subdue the Sith's presence and thereby bring balance to the Force. As Darth Vader, Anakin had destroyed several Jedi during the Emperor's purges, but Anakin rationalized that their presences only balanced the large number of Sith the Jedi had killed over the years. The Force had been out of balance then, and Sidious' death had tipped that balance again. It suddenly became clear to Anakin what needed to be done.